ANALYSIS
Europe is about to reopen its borders: things are becoming clearer day after day on the lifting of internal, but also external, controls. Europeans are called to restore free movement on Monday before gradually authorizing travelers from third countries from 1 July. But as during the worst of the coronavirus crisis, the cacophony still reigns in the Member States. Several obstacles prevent a harmonious lifting of borders.
Because the internal borders are not going to reopen at the same time
A priori , the borders between member states of the Schengen area must reopen on Monday, June 15, in a few days. This should go quickly and we will move freely again on Monday between Germany, France, Belgium, the Netherlands and as far as Poland. There will nevertheless be exceptions: Austria has for example decided to limit its access to Italy, Sweden and Denmark for a few more weeks. However, these four countries are signatories to the Schengen agreements. Spain and Portugal also mentioned reopening the borders with their neighbors on July 1 only.
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Because the reopening criteria have not yet been defined
The biggest problem arises for the exterior reopening, desired for July 1. How will the countries with which the borders reopen be chosen? Brussels has proposed criteria for determining authorized third countries. "The first criterion, of course, is the epidemiological situation in the country, although in some cases it is difficult to have exact statistics," said Home Affairs Commissioner Ylva Johansson on Thursday. "The second important criterion is the distancing measures during the trip, so that we can reopen to a third country."
Because data from certain countries is problematic
But this statement by the European Commission does not remove the other obstacles. The first problem is the reliability of the epidemiological data. Outside the microphone, experts express their doubts about data from China or part of Africa. And in some areas, such as Latin America or India, the epidemic peak has not yet been reached.
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Because the principle of reciprocity is essential
Europe wants to open its borders to only countries that let its citizens in, according to the principle of reciprocity. But will French, German or Spanish citizens be able to land on American soil this summer, when Donald Trump refuses that the United States will welcome European nationals for the time being? "If we offer them the possibility of traveling in the EU, we expect them to do the same for travelers coming from our countries," warned Ylva Johansson.
Because each state can play its own score
Borders are the responsibility of states, but everyone has international friendships and may be tempted to make an isolated gesture. Cyprus, for example, has already reopened its borders to Israel, and Greece is pushing for faster reopening, as its economy depends heavily on tourism.
If everyone does what they want, the image risks being terrible for the European Union. There is a risk that internal border controls will return, in order to prevent visitors from unwanted third countries. The 27 states have just over two weeks to resolve these issues and agree on this famous list. In the opinion of the specialists consulted by Europe 1 in Brussels, the deadline is very short.